TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It always sounds right to hear players talking about being ready to be the next
man up when a teammate is injured or sick. It takes on a lot more meaning when
that player follows through.

LSU
senior Casey Yocom didn't get on the team bus in Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon
counting on seeing a ton of playing time when the No. 2-ranked Tigers headed east
to face Alabama.

Most likely, he knew his weekend would be like most others -- he'd
be the emergency backup at both middle infield spots. Well,
the emergency occurred when JaCoby Jones woke up Friday with a nasty stomach
bug and was unable to play.

"(LSU
coach Paul Mainieri) came up to me after breakfast after during study hall and told
me that JaCoby was sick and I was getting the nod," Yocom said. "I wasn't
really nervous. I had confidence in myself that I could go out there and get
the job done."

His
job performance was flawless in the field with one chance and three putouts
handled without a hiccup.

At
the plate, Yocom lamented not getting a bunt down in his first trip (he struck
out), but he bounced back to factor into the Tigers' two-run 7th
inning when he worked Alabama starter Charley Sullivan for a leadoff walk.

"We
always stay ready for situations like this," Yocom said. "Coach always gets us
innings and at-bats to keep us fresh so we're good to go."

Old faces, new memories

Part
of the pre-game ceremonies for the game Saturday were to honor Alabama's 1983
team that advanced to the College World Series and finished as the national
runnerup to Texas.

Alan DunnLSUSports.net

LSU
pitching coach Alan Dunn was one of the Crimson Tide's top starting pitchers
that season. The series opener on Friday was the first time he'd been back in
Tuscaloosa for a game since that season, and said he got so see several friends
and former teammates, many of whom he hadn't connected with in 30 years.

"It
was good to get a chance to visit and reminisce about how we think we were that
good," Dunn said with a chuckle.

Mainieri
said Thursday that he wanted Dunn to take part in the pre-game activities,
which would take him away from prep work with starting pitcher Ryan Eades. Dunn was on the field with five of his former teammates and longtime Crimson Tide coach Barry Shollenberger.

Dunn went through the festivities and then trotted to the bullpen to work with Eades.

"That's
Paul," Dunn said. "He values that type stuff with teammates and history. He relishes
it because he knows how important it is, and that you don't get where you do
without other people."

Around the horn

With
Aaron Nola's shutout on Friday, LSU pitching went into Saturday's game with a stretch
of 24.2 consecutive innings without allowing a run. Alabama scored with one out int he 1st to end the streak at 25 innings, which matches the Tigers' longest
streak. LSU also went 25 innings between runs allowed against Tulane and
Missouri on March 26-39-30.

Aaron NolaLSUSports.net

LSU
has not lost a game that Nola has started this season (9-0). His 10 strikeouts
on Friday give him four double-digit games this season and two in a row. Nola
leads the SEC with 82 Ks in 72 innings.

Alex
Bregman produced a pair of singles on Friday, his 24th multi-hit
games in 39 starts this season. Raph Rhymes' 3 hits give him 14 games this
season with two or more hits.

Rhymes'
3 RBIs on Friday also matched his SEC season-best. He also drove in 3 vs.
Auburn on March 22.

Mark
Laird's four-game hitting streak is the longest currently for LSU. The freshman
has collected one hit in 10 of the last 11 games, but hasn't had a multi-hit
game since March 24 against Auburn 15 games ago.